Low Millage or regular use which is best

[griffhnter]

Having looked at cars with low mileage, I now see a Griff which has done 26,000 miles in the last 18 months - still only covered 46,000 miles. Would this be a better buy and more importantantly less problematic than a car that been laid up for most of the year and only done a total of 26,000 miles ?
Is a Griff really a practical proposition as an only and every day car and is 20mpg a realistic fuel consumption - it is better than I had expected ?
The ad I am talking about is on pistonheads and ebay, but i do not know how to make the link. Does anyone know this car? Experienced advise would be most welcome.

Edited by griffhnter on Tuesday 10th November 10:19

[lazyitus]

It's likely that any problems have been kept on top of if it's had good, regular use.

I can get 23-25mpg from mine if I drive it with economy in mind ( which isn't very often to be fair ).

Hope this is of some use.

[900T-R]

At least a car that has done 26,000 miles in the past 18 months can't be that unreliable.

[Mr MoJo]

I think you'll find the general concensus on here is buy on condition not mileage. However I bought a 20000 mile 2001 car last September, and have put about 7000 miles on it over the last year with no major issues. All the work I've had done has been to improve it, not mend it, if that makes sense.

A good sorted Griff with 50000 miles under its belt and has been serviced and maintained properly could be a better proposition than a low mileage car that has had very little done bar servicing at regular intervals. These cars are getting on a bit now but given the proper maintenance there is no reason why you couldnt use one as everyday transport.

eta. Regards MPG I get anything between 14 and 23 mpg depending how spirited a drive I'm having.

Edited by Mr MoJo on Tuesday 10th November 11:46

[350Matt]

Definitely go on condition first and ask if the car has been used regularly recently as the milage may have been accumulated sometime ago , they don't like being stored and left

come to think of it I need to dig mine out as its not turned a wheel in 2 weeks...

[900T-R]

350Matt said:

come to think of it I need to dig mine out as its not turned a wheel in 2 weeks...

Come to think of it, mine has been sitting inside over the weekend, too. Absolutely horrible weather over here, and I had use of a road test car with literally a million miles on the odo (surprisingly tidy, too!).

Edited by 900T-R on Tuesday 10th November 14:10

[griffhnter]

Thanks for the responses.
This is the car http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1342381.htm
Does anyone know the car? Or note anything which needs investigating?

Edited by griffhnter on Tuesday 10th November 13:49

[900T-R]

griffhnter said:

Thanks for the responses.
This is the car http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1342381.htm
Does anyone know the car? Or note anything which needs investigating?

Nothing other than it might be a bit tailhappy sitting on Proxies at the front and very humble P3000s (for which the most dizzying heights they reached as an an OE fitment was the early Mini Cooper on 15"s IIRC, otherwise mostly on Pandas et al) at the rear.

[5.0ltr]

Appears worthy of a look, it may be the picture but the drivers seat/handbrake and gear lever gaiters seem tired? Glove box looks like it is ajar, but being picky really.

[jjabennett]

Response to Griffhnter, please come and have a look at the car if you are interested, its worth the journey. I am available every evening and weekends. Based in Cheltenham so reasonably accessible to most of the country.

In response to some of the comments / question.
- The car is used very regularly as my only means of transport. It has completed 12,000 miles in the last 8 months and 14,000 in the 12 prior to that. (with full servicing every 6,000 miles). So very little time for it to have stood still!
- i find the Dunlop tyres more progressive than the Toyos and Bridgestones that i have previously run, the point at which they give up their grip is much easier to identify and correct, whereas the Toyos i found to snap a little.
- The gearstick and handbrake gaiters and the drivers seat have simply photographed poorly, all of the leather interior is in excellent condition and the glovebox catch has been fixed to ensure that it doesn't dispense it contents onto the passangers lap at every oppourtunity!

If anyone has any questions or queries please contact me at the details on the advert.

Jon

[griffhnter]

jjabennett. I am interested in why your car has been so reliable. Did you have to do anything to make it reliable or were you just lucky with your purchase? I might come to view your car,but at the moment I am just doing some research.

[Mr MoJo]

Griffhnter, why so surprised it's reliable ? If used regularly, serviced and maintained correctly, contrary to the uneducated belief, these cars can actually be reliable you know !!
just don't tell everyone, they'll all want one !!

[Stever]

Echo Mr Mojo's comments. I'm 6 years into TVR ownership (5 with a 400SE Wedge and now 15 months with the Griff) and I have had only one roadside breakdown. TVR satisfaction has for me always been about buying the best condition car I could afford, having the car maintained by a good mechanic and staying on top of any issues. Oh and apart from salty roads I use it regularly (but not as everyday transport)
Spend time finding the right car to begin with and be prepared to pay a good price, the more you look at the better idea you'll have of what your budget will provide. Most of us can tell if a car has been genuinely cared for or tarted up for sale.

Good luck with your search, you wont regret it the Griff is an awesome A-Road car

[Wildfire]

Yep, I would echo the reliability. I ran my S3 for 2 years and it never let me down.

I used my Pre_Cat Griff as an everyday car for 2 years, from going to the shops to up and down the country, and it's never left me stranded. Now that it's only used once a month (if that) it's having all sorts of issues. I have spent money, but it's just on consumables.

Conversely my '01 Lotus Elise went to PSR Automotive after 3 days.

[hoopyfrood]

If you find 2 cars in the same condition (like thats every likely) then I'd go with the one thats been used reguarly rather than the one thats been locked up in a garage for months and/or years on end.

Regards reliability, I've had mine 6 months and all thats happened was 1 fan belt and the previous owner didn't report any issues and he used it daily as well.

Quick glance through previous MOTs will give an idea as to how reguarly the car's been used.

But speaking as someone who's (regretably) selling his, more competatively priced, Griffith with 63k miles, I would say that.....

Clicky

[dumbfunk]

I bought my Griff500 9 years ago at 26k miles and it now has over 65k miles displayed. I've maintained it as well as I could and when something wore out I've replaced it wherever possible with an (sensibly) upgraded item.

Without any shadow of doubt my car accelerates, stops and turns VASTLY better today then at any earlier point in my ownership. With all the niggles ironed out reliability is also at a high.

I know that if I had to replace it with a car of ANY mileage tomorrow that I would have to budget probably an additional £5k to bring that vehicle up to the level of performance and confidence that I have with mine.


In my view - Buy on condition AND look for maintenance with sensible upgrades. Any solid car with Nitrons, all new bushes, rebuilt diff, steel brake hoses, induction mods and new cam will outperform any lower mileage standard car for about the same price. The time and cost to do this after purchase should not be underestimated.



dumbfunk

[900T-R]

dumbfunk said:

I know that if I had to replace it with a car of ANY mileage tomorrow that I would have to budget probably an additional £5k to bring that vehicle up to the level of performance and confidence that I have with mine.


In my view - Buy on condition AND look for maintenance with sensible upgrades. Any solid car with Nitrons, all new bushes, rebuilt diff, steel brake hoses, induction mods and new cam will outperform any lower mileage standard car for about the same price. The time and cost to do this after purchase should not be underestimated.



dumbfunk

Same here. A well sorted Griffmaera is a joy to drive and use, anything else will quickly turn into a garage ornament as you'll tend to bail out on taking it for longer drives if you don't have to, or will sour your relationship with te car and the marque. A car that has been rarely ever driven will very probably need that bit of 'user development', a high mileage car will at least have some of the issues sorted as a part of maintenance (there still will be enough left to do normally1 ). But sometimes a car turns up (mostly on here) that has some or all the major items done to a high standard, and even if they will fetch £1-2K more than a similar car without the upgrades I can tell you from rather painful-to-my-wallet experience it would still be stonking value comparatively.

Edited by 900T-R on Thursday 19th November 19:49

[Edmundo2]

Completely agree with dumbfunk and 900T-R. I bought my car, ( currently for sale here - http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1348290.htm ), because although it was highish miles it had had a full engine rebuild at a reputable main dealer and as a result drove better than all the other cars I'd viewed with less miles but on original engine. This coupled with the fact that body/chassis/interior /hood were all in great condition made for a good value car. Once purchased I spent what I'd saved by buying a slightly higher miles car, on upgrading the bits that get soggy over time - new shocks, bushes, discs, pads, lines, ball joints, tyres etc..etc..The cost of all this is close to £8000 in the space of 5k miles! The net result is a car that goes, handles, and stops, way better than a more expensive lower miles car that is yet, ( and often needed ), to have these jobs done.

[jjabennett]

Agree with all the above comments about reliability, would always buy a car based on decent use rather than low mileage, if the two come together then all teh better! Using my car every day i have meticulously ironed out every niggle i have come across, resulting in a car that give me less problems than most of my friends modern cars.

in response to Griffhnter some of the things that i did when i bought the car, and have continued to do during its ownership have ensured that it has never let me down.

When I bought the car, I immediately did the following:-

Changed all the fluids
Changed all the filters
Changed the wiper blades.
Changed the plug leads and plugs
Fitted a Modwise hot start even through everything seemed OK
Cleaned all the brake calliper pistons - the rubbers were fine.
Fitted new boots on the drive shafts and steering rack
Checked all the suspension boots and rubbers
Greased the prop shaft - that requires the exhaust to be dropped.
Cleaned off any damaged powder coating on the chassis and repainted it.
Cleaned and lubricated every linkage.
Checked the tightness of every bolt - its amazing how many were loose.
Checked and cleaned every hydraulic pipe.
Checked the fuel hose and replaced the front section
Meticulously did everything on the service schedule, regardless whether it was due.
Replaced any Sikaflex which was going hard, and checked for leaks with a high pressure hose.
Cleaned and polished everything.
Reproofed the hood and hardtop.
Cleaned and fed all the leather - it has full leather interior.

Since then I have serviced the Griff every 6000miles, and checked everything each time.

And I have had no problems, no unexpected expenditure, and lots of fun!

Maybe, I have been lucky, but I find that you make your own luck, and I am certain that constant use and maintenance is the main reason for the reliability.

[griffhnter]

Thanks for the information. Would you mind if I came for a look, although I will not be in a position to buy a car until next year?